- South Africa won a tense, rainy match against West Indies by three wickets
- India will be England’s semi-final opponents if the former overcome Australia
- Jos Buttler’s men will play on Wednesday evening if India fail to top their group
England have finished second in their Super Eight group after South Africa knocked out the World Cup co-hosts West Indies in Antigua, winning a tense, rain-affected affair by three wickets with five balls to spare.
But Jos Buttler’s side, who beat the USA by 10 wickets earlier in the day in Barbados, will not discover the identity of their semi-final opponents, or the venue, until later on Monday, when India play Australia in St Lucia, and Afghanistan take on Bangladesh in St Vincent.
England will be drawn against the team who end up top of Group 1. And that will be India if they win in Monday’s early start (10.30am local time, 3.30pm in the UK), with the Indians’ semi-final already locked in for Guyana on Thursday morning – a favourable slot for the subcontinental’s huge TV audience.
That would be a repeat of the 2022 semi-final, when England thrashed India by 10 wickets at Adelaide en route to lifting the trophy against Pakistan in Melbourne.
But if Australia beat India today, the group winners will be decided on net run-rate, with Afghanistan in the mix if they beat Bangladesh in the evening match (8.30pm local time, 1.30am on Tuesday in the UK).
England have finished second in their Super Eight group after qualifying for the semi finals
It comes after South Africa knocked out the World Cup co-hosts West Indies in Antigua
Should any side other than India top the group, England’s semi-final will take place in Trinidad on Wednesday evening local time (1.30am on Thursday in the UK).
The Bangladeshis could yet enter the mix with a big win over Afghanistan, but their net run-rate is so far behind their rivals’ that they remain England’s least likely opponents.
For West Indies, a second defeat in three Super Eight matches was a desperately disappointing conclusion to a tournament they had high hopes of winning after four victories out of four in the group stage.
Needing to beat South Africa to grab the group’s second semi-final spot, they made 135 for eight on a tricky surface at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, before reducing South Africa to 15 for two from two overs before rain arrived, with both wickets for Andre Russell.
Jos Buttler’s men could face India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the semi-finals
When it relented, they had a revised target of 123 in 17 overs. Wickets fell regularly, with Roston Chase’s off-breaks collecting three, but the South Africans completed their seventh win out of seven when Marco Jansen hit the first ball of the last over, bowled by Obed McCoy, for a straight six shortly before 1am local time.
Their semi-final opponents will be the team who finish second in Group 1.
